AC/DC
Flick of the Switch
It says something that at multiple points during the list-making process, one of the Factual's writers seriously considered this album as a possible contender for the number one spot. (It says that writer may need to grow up a little bit, and accept that just because an album is a non-stop joy-fest, a milkshake made solely out of the devil and raw sugar, that doesn't mean it's an artistic masterpiece.) Flick of the Switch is considered one of AC/DC's lesser works--few of these songs are played live, only three were released as singles, and neither of those went on to the heights reached by "Highway to Hell" or "You Shook Me All Night Long." In an even nastier slight, the album (combined with the still painful memories of Bon Scott's 1980 demise) earned the band the "8th biggest disappointment" award from notable music publication Kerrang.
Wait a second--Kerrang is a terrible publication that caters to idiots who like Korn. Anything they hate is clearly quite good. Let's reassess.
In recent years, Flick has finally started to get some of the appreciation it deserves. A self-produced album full of incredibly powerful, timeless rock anthems that have never been utilized as the NBA highlight reel soundtracks they were born for: We're talking about a song called "This House Is On Fire" that will make you question whether your house is really on FIRE, because, as Angus informs us, the "Flame is gonna burn in." We're talking about cop with a gun who's running around insane in Belgium--were you planning on taking a trip to the home of the Dutch? Angus thinks its a bad idea, and he wrote a song about it. It's called "Bedlam in Belgium." On top of that, if you've ever craved a non-stop rock fest that's explicitly designed around the theory that women crave men who are premature ejaculators that will not only brag about this usually embarrassing trait, but said women will allow themselves to be "dictated" too, by "big dictators" after one finishes up in a scant matter of seconds, than "Guns for Hire" is probably the only track that will fit the bill. (Before you start mentioning Jason Mraz, remember that the description said non-STOP rock fest, not a ballad.) AC/DC was never a band that either contributor expected in the top 25 albums, much less cresting the top ten--but here it is, and it's a ridiculously fun throwback to a time period where this sort of music wasn't enjoyed as a guilty pleasure, but as a party prerequisite.
-Tucker Stone, 2007
Comments